Page 4 of Generation Lost

“We appreciate it,” nodded Angel. They stood and stepped out into the main processing area. Seated along a wall was an elderly woman cuffed to a chair. She looked dirty, but not like the kind of dirty you would see for someone chronically homeless or a drug user or prostitute. “What did she do?”

“Stole food,” said the detective. “Fourth time for her, and I’m afraid she might go to jail if the store presses charges.”

“Fourth time? Hasn’t anyone bothered to ask her why she’s stealing food? I think it’s painfully obvious that she’s hungry,” growled Miller. The detective shrugged his shoulders as Angel walked over to the woman.

“Morning, ma’am.”

“Morning. Are you going to put me in jail?” she asked. Her eyes were red from crying, her fingernails caked with dirt.

“No, ma’am. I don’t work here, but I’d sure like to hear your story,” said Angel. Miller walked up and she stared at the two men. “We want to help.”

Miller made the detective uncuff her and walked toward the ladies’ room.

“Go on in and clean yourself up. I’m sure that will make you feel a bit better. I’ll wait out here.” She eyed the two men and nodded, grateful for the privacy of the clean bathroom. She realized just how awful she looked and nearly started crying again.

Using the paper towels and soap, she wiped her face, neck, hands, and arms, then attempted to straighten her hair. It was no use. It needed to be washed. When she stepped outside, they were waiting with a cup of coffee, a soda, two packs of peanut butter crackers, and an apple.

“Thank you,” she said, holding back the tears. Angel waved her toward a private office, where he closed the door. The smell of the old woman was nearly overpowering, but they both said nothing, just asking her to take a seat.

“The detective said you stole food,” said Angel.

“I did. Two loaves of bread, some potted meat, and a few apples. It was all I could carry.”

“That seems like a lot of food for one small woman. Where were you going?” asked Miller. She looked away from him, staring out the window. “Ma’am, we truly want to help, but we need to know where you were going with all that food.”

“To help my friends.”

“Other homeless people?”

“We’re not homeless! We were intentionally displaced, evicted, foreclosed on, whatever you want to call it. But we are not homeless.”

“Ma’am, if you don’t have a home to go to, you’re homeless. But as we said, we’d like to help with that if we can. We run a security and investigation company, and we take cases without charge all the time. This sure feels like something we’d like to look into.”

“You don’t know all the details,” she frowned. “According to the banks, mortgage companies, and damn insurance, it’s all legal.”

“Well, we’ve got one of the best legal teams in the country working with us. Why don’t you tell us what’s happening, and we’ll decide.”

“I want to, really I do, but my friends need food and medicine. I need to help them, and the longer I sit here, the more I’m gagging at the smell of myself, and I’m shocked you’re not gagging as well.” Angel chuckled, nodding.

“Alright, will you tell me where your friends are? We’ll get some vehicles down here and get everyone somewhere safe. You can shower, get fresh clothes, and a hot meal. No tricks. You can ask that detective out there. He knows us.”

“No tricks?” she asked, staring sideways at them.

“You have my word,” said Miller. “No tricks. Our mama would beat us senseless.”

“You’re brothers?”

“In every way that matters,” smiled Angel.

“Alright. But if you hurt any of them, I’ll hurt you.” Miller grinned at the older woman and nodded.

“Yes, ma’am, I believe you would.”

“How many are there?” asked Gaspar, watching as the elderly were helped into the Sugar Lodge.

“Thirty-three,” said Angel. “They were all living in a warehouse near the river. It was already starting to flood. Rats were crawling on the rafters. There was no heat, no air, no fans, nothing. Summer coming on, they would have died from the heat. They had everything they owned pushed up against one wall. We’re sending some boys back down to get all of it for them. Not sure it’s worth saving, but it’s theirs.”

“We’re going to get them showered, changed, and fed, and then we can talk to them.”

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